


One Hour of Shadow and Light

by nitschieh



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Fluff, M/M, there's aomomo in one chapter but this is mainly a kgkr thing so i didn't add the tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:10:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4179378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitschieh/pseuds/nitschieh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of one-shots written for the Kagakuro 60min on Twitter</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Locker Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The theme was "LOCKERROOM" and I've managed to mention the word once. I've failed.

"Kuroko, you coming? He's getting restless."  
"I'm on my way!"

The young man took the shoehorn off its hook on the wall, quickly slipping into his shoes, and left the apartment through the still open door. Outside, he was met by his partner who was currently trying to calm down the dog jumping around his legs happily.

It had been a few years since Tetsuya had picked up Nigou and the dog was much bigger now. He had been a little surprised by how well Kagami had been adjusting to the growing pet—but then again people tended to not notice gradual changes when they experienced them first hand. It was just how when back in 8th grade Tetsuya's aunt had been visiting and she'd pinched his cheek, saying, "My, look how much you've grown!" even thought he'd always been one of the smallest guys on the basketball team.

They were still playing basketball—Kagami professionally and Tetsuya whenever time allowed him to. After high school they'd moved in together in an apartment almost right in the middle between Kagami's club's gym and Tetsuya's university. Kagami had only tried to protest twice or maybe thrice when Tetsuya had wanted to bring Nigou along.

Now, the three were living together and since it was off-season Kagami had finally gotten a few days off to spend some time with his dear ones.

With a smile Tetsuya watched Kagami hold Nigou's leash tight as they were on their way to the nearby dog park. Nigou was still as energetic as ever which meant he had much more strength now, but Kagami had gotten used to him over time. Other dogs were still a problem for him but Nigou was Tetsuya's pet just as much as he was Kagami's. Tetsuya squeezed Kagami's hand a bit tighter as they entered the park. Nigou quickly spotted one of his dog friends and Kagami let him run free for a while. After greeting the other dog's owner the pair sat down on a bench from which they could still watch Nigou. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Kagami asked, "What's wrong today?"

Tetsuya turned his head slightly to see his partner looking right back at him.

"Hm?"

At Tetsuya's confused eyes, Kagami averted his gaze and scratched his neck.

"Ah, I don't know. It's just that you've been staring at me the whole time on our way here."

Tetsuya smiled softly.

"I was simply admiring the view."

Kagami sputtered a few incoherent words before falling back into silence. With one last glance at Tetsuya he went back to watching Nigou play with some other dogs. His cheeks were tinted in a soft pink and Tetsuya loved how he never seemed to get used to flattery.  
Tetsuya took his hand once more.

"I've remembered something when I saw you walking Nigou earlier."

Neither of them turned to look at the other but Kagami made a sound to show he was listening.

"Back in high school, when Kagami-kun still claimed to be afraid of him—"  
"I _was_ afraid of him!"

Tetsuya smiled at the squeeze of Kagami's hand.

"Back then, I once saw Kagami-kun put Nigou's Seirin jersey on him when he thought he was alone in the locker room."

Kagami snapped around, his face quickly reddening.

"I did something like that?"

Tetsuya's lips pulled further into something between a gentle smile and a smirk—he himself couldn't tell which one he'd been aiming for.

"I believe that was the first time I realised I'd fallen in love with Kagami-kun."

Tetsuya finally turned his head and watched as first Kagami's eyes widened and then his mouth opened and closed several times without making any sound. In the end, he looked away, hiding his face. His hand squeezed Tetsuya's even tighter than before.

"Geez, what's up with you."

Kagami's voice was muffled by the hand still covering a good part of his face. Tetsuya didn't answer, however, he just leaned closer until their shoulders touched and together they watched Nigou and the other dogs in silence.


	2. Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagami is an idiot, pass it on! Theme was "DATE".

They were both out of breath when they decided to take a break. They quickly made their way to the small bench next to the streetball court where their bags were standing. The ball was lazily coming to a halt under the hoop.

With a heavy sigh Kuroko slumped on the bench, leaning back on his hands to give his lungs more space to expand. After a few deep breaths he looked up at his partner who was towering over him, already holding out a towel and a bottle of water. Kuroko took both with a slow, "Thank you!" on his lips.

When they'd both calmed down enough that their breaths were evened out, Kuroko's partner reached down into his bag and pulled out a take-out bag from Maji Burger. Without a word he set it next to him on the bench and reached for a burger inside. He silently threw one at Kuroko as well. They ate in silence until the other suddenly started laughing out loud.

Kuroko tilted his head slightly and asked, "What's wrong, Kagami-kun?"

Now, Kagami Taiga wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed and sometimes he did things without thinking. This was one of those moments, as he suddenly blurted out, "You know, I was just thinking that if we were in America people would probably think we're dating."

He barked out three more laughs and then finished eating his burger. When he reached into the bag to grab another one, his movements suddenly stopped and he could feel his face get hot. Taiga quickly turned around to see Kuroko staring back at him with wide eyes and his mouth hanging slightly open.

He took a sharp breath and frantically explained, "I mean, we spend quite a lot of time together and we go out to eat at Majibu and play streetball and take Nigou for walks and you come over often and it's more common in America with two guys but we're not in America so it doesn't matter, right?"

Taiga laughed again—a forced laugh this time—and quickly unwrapped another burger. Kuroko stayed quiet the whole time.  
When Taiga was finishing his fourth and last—for now—burger, Kuroko looked at the empty wrapper of his first and only one and asked out of the blue, "Would Kagami-kun want us to date?"

Taiga could feel his cheeks flame up again and he almost choked on his last bite.

"What?"

Kuroko hesitated for a moment, reconsidering his words as it seemed and then spoke, "Would Kagami-kun want to date me?"

Taiga gulped heavily.

"I... Would you want to, Kuroko?"

Kuroko's poker face wavered the tiniest bit and suddenly Taiga felt like he was being scolded.

"I asked Kagami-kun first," Kuroko deadpanned.

Taiga's breath suddenly went faster, as if he'd just played an exciting first quarter against a strong opponent. He gulped once more. Kuroko's gaze was burning into him expectantly.

"I, uhm... I guess I wouldn't, uhm, hate it. I think."

He quickly averted his eyes, feeling even his ears reddening. Taiga almost jumped when Kuroko put his hand on his.

"Would Kagami-kun do me the honour of dating me?"

Somehow, Taiga's cheeks managed to crimson even more. This was much more exciting than any quarter of any game could ever be.  
He nodded slightly and turned his hand around to fit Kuroko's into his.


	3. RAIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stop kagakuro 2k15

Kagami was just landing on a ground from a dunk and mumbled, "I think I just caught a raindrop on my cheek," when suddenly a heavy shower started pouring. Within mere seconds the whole court was covered in a thin layer of water and the two teenagers crossed the way to their bags standing next to it.

Kagami picked up his jacket that he had carelessly dropped on the floor earlier. He held it over his head and then leaned over Kuroko, who was rummaging around his bag, to shield them both from the rain—not that it helped much.

"What are you doing?"

Kuroko didn't look up when he answered and instead kept moving things around.

"Unlike Kagami-kun I've watched the weather forecast this morning and brought an umbrella."

Kuroko kept searching for another minute or two before he eventually halted in his movements. Kagami lightly kicked his back with his knee.

"Well, where is it?"

Kuroko hesitated a little before he admitted, "It seems I left it at Kagami-kun's apartment."

It was silent around them for a moment—the only thing audible being the sound of rain hitting the ground, houses and trees. Then, Kagami laughed out loud and Kuroko could feel a big hand ruffling his hair. The smaller teen groaned and brushed Kagami's hand off his head while he moved to stand next to him. Kagami lowered the jacket.

"Well, we're mostly drenched already anyway, an umbrella wouldn't even be of much help anymore."

Kuroko's lips formed a pout, Kagami grinned.

"Wanna run home? I'll lend you a towel and maybe even some clothes."

Kuroko huffed, but picked up his bag and started jogging.

"Oi, wait!"

Kagami gathered his things as well—bag over his shoulder, jacket in one hand and basketball in the other—and quickly closed the distance that Kuroko had already put between them.  
On their way to Kagami's apartment they got several suspicious looks from passers-by but all they did was laugh and run a bit faster.

Out of breath and completely drenched Kagami opened the door to his apartment a few minutes later and stepped inside, followed by Kuroko mumbling, "Sorry for the intrusion." They took off their shoes and immediately small puddles formed under their feet. Kagami quickly peeled himself out of his wet shirt and pants and disappeared into the bathroom. 

Kuroko put down his bag which was just as soaked as himself and used his foot to slide it neatly next to his shoes. Next, he took off his socks and then hesitated. Taking off his clothes in another person's entryway felt somewhat lewd. Fidgeting a little, Kuroko waited until Kagami came back.

"Kuroko, what the hell are you doing? Take off your clothes or do you wanna catch a cold?"

The taller teen threw a towel at Kuroko which he elegantly caught with his face. Kagami started laughing at the image in front of him and didn't even stop when Kuroko sent him a death glare.

Kagami was still quietly giggling to himself when Kuroko pulled the towel over his head to rub his hair dry. Suddenly, the laughter stopped. When Kuroko looked at Kagami to ask him what happened to his spite his breath got stuck in his throat.

The other boy was looking at him, but not at his eyes. Kagami's gaze seemed to follow a drop of water that Kuroko could feel running down his neck. It vanished against the neckline of his shirt.

"Kagami-kun?"

Kagami's eyes snapped back up and his cheeks reddened. He looked at everything but Kuroko.

"Sorry, I just..." He cleared his throat. "I can kind of see through your shirt."

Kuroko was dumbstruck for a moment before he started giggling. Out of the corner of his eyes he could indeed see the colour of his skin shine through the white fabric of his shirt.

"Hey, stop laughing! And get out of your clothes already, I don't need a sick shadow!"

Kuroko's chuckle faded off as he pulled the shirt up over his head.

"Kagami-kun really doesn't know what's embarrassing and what isn't. How is me taking off my clothes better than you being able to see through my shirt?"

Kagami protested, "It's totally different!" when Kuroko untied the knot holding together the waistband of his pants.

"Besides, it's not like Kagami-kun has never seen me naked before. We even went to an onsen with the whole team."

Kuroko stepped out of his pants and, wearing nothing but his underwear now—just like Kagami. The latter averted his gaze.

"But that was with the team. We alone haven't gone that far yet."

Kagami awkwardly scratched the back of his neck while both of them started at the dark blushes on each other's cheeks. Suddenly, thunder rolled through the sky outside. They both turned towards the window to watch raindrops run down the glass.  
Kagami cleared his throat again.

"So, uhm, wanna spend the night? If you go out now you'll get wet again instantly..."

Kuroko looked up at Kagami through big eyes.

"Is Kagami-kun trying to seduce me?"

Kagami's cheeks flushed almost as red as his hair was.

"I'm not!"

Kuroko smiled.

"I'd love to."

Kagami averted his eyes twice before he quickly leaned down to peck his partner's lips.

"I'll even lend you some clean underwear."

When Kagami immediately turned around to stomp into his bedroom to get the spare clothes he'd been promising, Kuroko grabbed his wrist. The taller teen stopped in his tracks and a second later Kuroko's still was pressed between his shoulder blades—the still damp hair felt cold. He could hear Kuroko gulp.

"Or we could get naked and snuggle under a warm blanket."

Kagami was sure the other boy could feel and hear his heartbeat speed up but he didn't even mind. Instead of going to his bedroom, Kagami took Kuroko's hand in his and led him to the couch in the living room.


	4. VANILLA

Taiga took two ice cream cones from the counter and carried them over to where his boyfriend was waiting for him. He handed Kuroko the cone with the white scoop and they started walking through the city in the direction of a nearby park, casually stopping to do some window shopping.

When Taiga's scoop was half gone, Kuroko asked, "What flavour did Kagami-kun get?"

Taiga looked at the dark brown ice cream and replied, "Bitter chocolate."

He eyed Kuroko and for a second it almost seemed as if he was pouting.

"May I have a bite?"

Taiga blinked twice before he snorted.

"Pff, but you don't even _like_ bitter chocolate. You can't even drink milk coffee."

He immediately fell silent though, when he saw Kuroko's red ears. He was about to offer him a bite after all but the other teen beat him to it.

"Then, would Kagami-kun like to taste mine?"

They were entering an area now where less people were hurrying about. Kuroko held his cone up in front of Taiga's face—most of the ice cream was still forming a nice sphere and Taiga eyed his own scoop that had already disappeared into the cone. He gently pushed Kuroko's hand back down but let the touch linger longer than was necessary.

"I know that it's vanilla anyway. I've tasted enough of your milk shakes to have the flavour basically burned into my tongue."

Taiga went on about how he couldn't understand how Kuroko always ate so many sweet things when his hand accidentally brushed against his boyfriend's that was hanging loosely between their bodies. It wasn't anything unusual and the streets were almost completely empty by now but it made him focus on Kuroko more.

Taiga's own ice cream was gone by the time he looked down to watch the younger boy nibble at his waffle cone. Kuroko noticed that his partner had gone quiet and turned his head upwards to look back at him. Taiga gulped.

Without a word of explanation he grabbed his boyfriend's wrist and dragged him into the closest narrow alley.

"Kagami-kun? What's wrong?"

When Taiga thought they'd gone far enough to be hidden from the street he stopped and quickly checked behind him once before he leaned down to kiss Kuroko.

Both their lips were sticky and Taiga made it even worse when he slowly licked across Kuroko's lips once. The latter was just about to open his mouth to let his tongue in when Taiga pulled back. He didn't even give Kuroko a chance to collect his thoughts before he quickly explained, his face flushed red, "Sorry, Kuroko! You just had some ice cream stuck on your lips and you looked so... so cute, okay? You looked damn fucking cute!"

Taiga knew that Kuroko didn't like being called cute but he just couldn't keep it in this time. But as a change, Kuroko didn't look angry—though his cheeks were just as red as if he was.

"How did it taste?"

Taiga quickly forced himself to look Kuroko in the eyes instead of staring at his lips and cheeks.

"Hm?"  
"The ice cream, how did it taste?"

Kuroko looked at him as if he'd just asked the most important question in the universe. Taiga smirked.

"Sweet. Unbearably sweet."

He leaned down to kiss Kuroko again and this time their tongues tangled together in a mix of sweetness and bitterness.

They only pulled back when Kuroko let out a tiny shriek because the melting vanilla ice cream was running over his fingers.


	5. Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Kuroko spoiling Kagami's chest with kisses.

Taiga gently lowered Kuroko on the bed. He straddled his partner's lap and never parted their lips—not even when he leaned forwards, making Kuroko lie down on the mattress. He sat back once more to take off his shirt but before he could start caressing the naked chest in front of him his boyfriend held both his hands against Taiga's lips. Immediately Taiga's heart started beating from another kind of nervousness.

"Sorry, Kuroko. Did I go too fast? Did you change your mind? If you don't wanna have sex anymore we could just—I don't know—cuddle or something like that."

He trailed off, his eyes frantically searching for some kind of hint. It wasn't their first time but they were still kind of new to this whole sex thing. What he found, however, was Kuroko smiling folndly at him. Taiga's heart skipped a beat.

"Don't worry, Kagami-kun didn't do anything wrong."

Kuroko sat up as well and embraced Taiga's neck with both arms.

"I simply feel like spoiling Kagami-kun today."

Taiga's cheeks suddenly felt like they were caught on fire—a fire that spread throughout his whole torso when Kuroko leaned in to plant feather-light kisses along his collarbone. The kisses were soon accompanied by soft nibbling and it didn't take long until Taiga let out soft moans. He didn't put up any resistance when Kuroko pulled him back down onto the bed, only to roll them around.

Taiga was now lying flat on his back, seeing his lover towering over him and loving every second of it. Kuroko seemed to admire the view as well because he just looked Taiga's chest up and down several times before he leaned down to continue what he'd already begun.

Slowly, Kuroko started again at the collarbone, leaving soft kisses to the left and right. When he apparently thought he'd paid enough attention to it his mouth travelled lower to Taiga's nipples—first kissing them, then licking, then gently nibbling.

At this point it was already too much for Taiga to keep his voice down and to stop his hips from bucking every now and then. He closed his eyes, hoping it would calm him down a little if he couldn't see Kuroko devouring his body anymore, but all it did was making him feel the places his lover touched and kissed even more intensely. He kept his eyes closed.

On his way further down Kuroko was now leaving wet trails all over Taiga's torso. He would kiss a spot—caressing the mirrored part on the other side of his chest with his hands—and just as Taiga was starting to feel impatient he would softly sink his teeth into the skin only to soothingly lap at it with his tongue right after. The whole procedure was highly stimulating but also left Taiga's lower half begging for more.

He bucked his hips more frantically into the thin air and pressed out between moans, "Kuroko, please, touch me more."

Against his sensitive skin, Taiga could feel Kuroko's lips pull into a smile. He was about to tell him off for being a freaking tease but then Kuroko's tongue was right above the waistline of his school uniform pants.

Thoroughly, Taiga's partner licked up the middle of his chest—dipping the tip of his tongue inside his bellybutton and following his sternum—and continued up his neck as well. For a moment, Kuroko stopped right above his lips, whispering, "As Taiga-kun wishes," before he engulfed him in a deep kiss just as Taiga's button was popped open.


	6. Onsen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set during ep 37.
> 
> I'm sorry for the sucky-ness of this orz

"Oi, Kuroko, let's get you out of here."

Kuroko opened his eyes halfway and looked at Kagami with a dazed gaze.

"Hm."

He tried standing up carefully but he still would've slipped right back into the water if Kagami hadn't caught his upper arm. The taller teen helped Kuroko out of the steaming water.

"Are you guys going to be okay?"

Kagami looked up to see Izuki watching them with concern written all over his face. Izuki knew he had been the one who had practically ordered Kagami to look after Kuroko and take him out of the bath but that didn't mean he didn't worry.

"Yeah, no worries. I'll have him lie down."

Izuki grinned and said with a thumbs-up, "It's cool that you'll help him cool down." Muttering to himself he added, "Ah, that was a good one."

Kagami was about to tell Izuki that it really wasn't when suddenly Kuroko's weight against his side got heavier.

"I'm sorry, Kagami-kun, I just lost my balance for a second."

Having none of that Kagami took his partner's left arm and slung it around his shoulder—as well as it was possible with their height difference. He put his own right hand on Kuroko's waist and started to slowly lead him out of the hot area. When Kuroko's hand slid down his back a little and then tightened against Kagami's shoulder blade, the latter's hand did the same. With a gulp Kagami realised that Kuroko was completely naked.

"Hey, Kuroko, where's your towel?"

His own voice sounded strange to him—much softer than he'd ever heard it before. Kuroko in his arm put in great effort to lift his head and search around. Then, he tilted his chin towards the washing area.

"Over there."

Slowly, they made their way to where Kuroko's towel was still lying next to a big pile of bubbles, Kiyoshi shouting a concerned "Be careful, boys," behind them.

"Can you stand on your own for a second?"

Kuroko nodded weakly and let go of Kagami's shoulder blade—Kagami immediately missed the touch. The taller boy quickly bent over to pick the towel up from the ground. It was soaking wet. Kuroko blindly reached for it anyway.

"Ah, the towel's wet. You probably shouldn't put it on or you'll catch a cold."

Kuroko just hummed quietly and waited for the other teen to support him again. Kagami had never him so out of it.

Carefully, they entered the changing room. Kuroko was just about to flop down onto the closest flat surface lower than his hips—which happened to be the floor—but Kagami stopped him just in time.

"Hold on, Kuroko. You can't just lie down here, you're butt-"

The word got stuck in his throat and he tried again.

"I mean, you're-" His voice got quiet. "-butt-naked and-" Louder again. "-this floor really isn't something you should lay down on."

Kuroko uttered a quiet, "Oh," and held on to Kagami tighter. His body was still burning and Kagami could feel the heat seep through his own skin at all the places they touched. The changing room felt just as steamy as the bath had all of a sudden.

For a moment Kagami didn't know what to do next but a drop of water falling on his upper arm reminded him that Kuroko's body was still wet. He looked around frantically but the only towel dry enough he could find was the one on his own shoulder. He hesitantly handed it to Kuroko.

"You should dry yourself first."

Kuroko let out a soft sigh.

"I would be very grateful if Kagami-kun would help me."

Kagami's eyes widened and he gulped soundly. Suddenly, the room felt much hotter than any hot spring ever could.

"You, uhm... Okay. Hold onto something."

At this moment, Kagami was almost grateful that Kuroko didn't seem to be able to keep his eyes open. Otherwise he would've seen his flushed red face.

Kuroko grabbed onto the closest shelf and Kagami warned him, "I'm gonna rub you dry now."

His voice did the thing again where it was entirely too soft for his liking, even though his words sounded kind of contradicting to it. Gently, Kagami put the towel between Kuroko's shoulder blades and carefully moved it over his whole back and arms—down and up and down again. 

Kuroko's chest was already a different kind of challenge because Kagami had to reach around the slender body in front of him. He was all too thankful for his long arms when he let his hands slide over Kuroko's slightly ripped abs and his nipples—at least he didn't have to press his own chest against Kuroko's back this way and couldn't see anything.

When Kagami was done with the upper half of Kuroko's body he stopped. His thoughts were running a mile a minute and this situation was much more exhausting than a good game against a strong opponent.

"Uhm..."

Kuroko quietly put his hand on Kagami's that was still holding the towel against his sternum.

"I will do the rest myself."

Kagami involuntarily let out a sigh of relief and pulled back his hand. He turned around when Kuroko dried the area around his crotch and thought that now would probably be a good time to put on his own clothes when out of the corner of his eye he saw Kuroko almost topple over.

"Whoa, steady there."

Kagami caught his partner's arm just like he had earlier and helped him back into an upright position.

"You okay?"

As red as Kuroko's face had been in the bath, he now looked even paler than usual.

"I'm sorry, I still feel a little dizzy. Would Kagami-kun maybe support me?"

Even before Kuroko had asked his question Kagami's hands had already grabbed the smaller teen's sides.

"Don't apologise, idiot."

A small smile formed on Kuroko's lips as he bent down to dry his legs. Taking a deep—a very deep—breath Kagami quickly averted his gaze when Kuroko's ass stuck high up in the air. He closed his eyes and quietly counted to 20 before Kuroko stood up straight again. Kagami let out another relieved sigh and quickly let go of his companion as if the touch had burned his hands.

"Hold onto the shelf again. I'll get your clothes."

They had undressed next to each other earlier so at least Kagami knew which one of the small baskets full of clothes held Kuroko's. He took it out of the shelf and tried not to blush at the sight of the other boy's dog-patterned boxer briefs. He failed. Not that Kuroko noticed anyway because he kept his lowered the whole time.

Kuroko took his underwear from the basket Kagami was holding in front of him and slowly put it on. His other clothes followed a bit faster and soon Kuroko was leaning against the cold wall while Kagami was getting dressed as well.

Kagami again supported Kuroko as they left the changing area to get back to their team's room. On their way they met one of the onsen's attendants who worriedly directed them to a nearby bench next to a soda machine. She also brought a cold cloth for Kuroko to put on his forehead not even a minute later.

When Kuroko finally laid down, Kagami took a long breath. This was all too much for his young heart. Then, Kuroko's soft voice called out his name.

"Kagami-kun?"  
"Hm?"

Kuroko lifted the cloth enough to look at Kagami with one eye.

"I'm sorry for being such an inconvenience."

The taller boy just slid his hand over Kuroko's forehead, making him close his eyes again.

"Just make sure you'll feel better soon. Sheesh..."

Kagami walked over to the vending machine.

"Want something to drink?"

Kagami was almost glad when the sports drink Kuroko requested was sold out. At least, this way he'd have a few minutes to himself in which he could hopefully calm his fast-beating heart.


	7. Height Difference

Kuroko Tetsuya considered himself as being of average height. During his last years of high school he had grown a few centimetres, so he really wasn't small. He was about as tall as most of his male co-workers and taller than the female ones. His height was average.

What made him look small, however, was constantly being surrounded by his huge basketball friends and especially his enormous boyfriend.

Tetsuya being small in basketball standards had its advantages and disadvantages. Because of his body he couldn't be a flashy player who scored with spectacular dunks or who blocked his opponents with his broad hands. He couldn't do any of this but then again he didn't need to. His smaller body—in comparison to the other players—worked well together with his lack of presence, making his role as a shadow that much more effective. He was agile and some people still underestimated him. So, all in all he was grateful for his height when it came to basketball.

There were times, however, when Tetsuya was annoyed by being only average. His friends used to dote on him as if he was a little kid and his and Kagami's home was mostly arranged to fit his partner's big body—they had had to find an apartment with a high ceiling and tall doors, he sometimes felt as if he could drown when he was alone in their bathtub and the worst was when he couldn't reach things at the top of a shelf or cupboard. Usually, Kagami helped him without being asked to but it was those moments when Tetsuya wished he was taller.

But all these worries were gone when Tetsuya woke up every morning in a way too over-sized shirt that made both of their hearts pound faster with memories of past nights and anticipation of following ones.  
Or when Kagami was hugging Tetsuya no matter from which side—because they were cold or cooking together or just seeking each others' touch—and his partner's chin always fit perfectly on the top of his head.  
And especially when they were in their bed at night—sweating and panting heavily and moaning each others' names. When Kagami's chest was pressed flat against Tetsuya's back and their heads were at the same height so they could kiss while Kagami thrust in him, slowly making both of them come undone.

Those were the times when Kuroko Tetsuya was entirely too grateful for the height difference between his tall boyfriend and himself.


	8. One on One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like this one omg it's so cheesy!

Two weeks after they had won the Winter Cup Kuroko walked up to Kagami after practice.

"Kagami-kun, do you have some time for me after this?"

Kuroko looked at his partner in confusion but simply nodded. They took their time changing clothes and left the school together.

Kagami watched Kuroko from the corner of his eye and asked, "So, where are we going? I guess it's not Maji Burger or you wouldn't have asked so formally. Is something wrong?"

Kuroko just pulled his lips up into a small but honest smile.

"No, we're going to the streetball court."

Kagami grinned and nudged the smaller teen's shoulder with his arm.

"Still wanna practise, huh?"

Kuroko didn't answer and when Kagami looked at him it almost seemed as if his cheeks were slightly tinted in red—that or the evening sun was playing tricks on his eyes. Either way, Kagami quickly turned away, hoping his own face wasn't flushed as well.

They reached the streetball court in silence. People often thought Kuroko was an ever quiet boy but Kagami knew better than that. He'd held some of the best and most random conversations with Kuroko. However, the self-proclaimed shadow was also someone to share comfortable silences with.

They put their bags down at the bottom of the bench that was located right next to the court. Kagami already wanted to get in position under the basket—fully prepared for a one on one—when Kuroko simply sat down.

The older boy didn't know what was going on but Kuroko had asked him to come along and he was looking serious now, so he took the place right next to him. Their shoulders bumped lightly.

Kagami still didn't understand what was happening so he waited for his companion to start the conversation. Several minutes passed before Kuroko finally inhaled to start talking.

"It's been almost a year since our first one on one on this court."

Kuroko's quiet voice and half-lidded eyes seemed to be full of sentiment but he wasn't looking at his friend. Instead, Kagami followed his gaze and together they watched the sun set.

"Back then, Kagami-kun told me that I should quit basketball."

Kagami took a sharp breath. He wanted to interrupt Kuroko and shout apologies at him. He wanted to tell him just how wrong he'd been—obviously—and how much his words must've hurt him back then, but he felt like he should just let Kuroko continue.

"Over this past year, we played so many one on ones against each other and in so many games together. We became the best in Japan, just like we'd promised and I slowly fell in love with Kagami-kun's basketball."

Kagami wanted to interrupt him again, though for an entirely different reason this time. He could feel his whole face burn up while Kuroko kept talking.

"But it wasn't just Kagami-kun's basketball. As we spent more time together I also fell in love with your cooking, the way you always cared for others and even your fear of dogs."

Suddenly, Kuroko stopped talking and all Kagami could hear was his own, loud heartbeat. When Kuroko didn't continue, Kagami slowly turned towards him only to see his partner's big, blue eyes already looking back at him. Kuroko's cheeks were definitely dusted red now.

"I fell in love with _you_ , Kagami-kun. Would you allow me to date you?"

Kuroko's voice sounded firm but Kagami had never seen him look so vulnerable—not even when he'd told the team about his time at Teikou and his friend Ogiwara.  
Kagami tried to calm his heartbeat, tried to take a few deep breaths but in the end he just leaned forward and pressed his own trembling lips against Kuroko's.


	9. Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the last episode.

Kuroko heard the whistle and then—for what felt like no time at all and an eternity—he heard nothing. He couldn't hear his own heart beating faster than it probably ever had or his frantic breaths that were rattling in his lungs.

He didn't hear any of it until suddenly all sound came back at once, drowning him in shouts and cheers and even more happy shouts from his teammates.

Without searching, Kuroko's eyes immediately find Kagami's. They don't need words to understand each other—spoken language being more of a barrier between their souls in this moment instead of connecting them.

_They won!_

They won and what more reason do they need to run towards each other to close the physical distance that is the only thing keeping them apart as two separate persons. Their minds are like on right now and they need their bodies to be as well.

Kuroko almost closes his arms around Kagami's torso when he's almost painfully reminded that they're not alone. From all around them their teammates come crashing together, hugging Kuroko, hugging Kagami, hugging each other. But it doesn't hurt when Hyuuga basically buries him in Kagami's chest and others follow. None of his body hurts—not for now at least, tomorrow will prove him different—because the adrenaline pumping through his veins makes him feel like he's flying.

Kuroko looks up from where his head is only centimetres away from Kagami's collarbone and he can hear the other boy's laughter roaring through his body just as well as he can see it streaming down his cheeks in happy tears. His own face feels the same.

When the bundle of limbs and sweaty teenagers around them loosens up a little, Kuroko finally—but hesitantly—puts his arms around Kagami. The other boy—their ace, the final scorer, his light, his partner—squeezes him back for just a second before they all take a step back to be able to _breathe_.

Kuroko doesn't feel upset for even a second. He doesn't have the time to—not when he's surrounded by the happy faces of the teammates he cares about so much and not when he knows that he and Kagami will have enough time to properly embrace each other and enjoy their victory when everything has settled and calmed down a little.

He lets out another roaring shout.


	10. Favourite Trope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I live for fake boyfriends so have something crappy for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been almost two whole months since I last participated, I am ashamed of myself. Sorry for that, I'll try to be more active again! >___

Kagami and Kuroko were queuing up in their usual Maji Burger store. They were chatting away until they reached the front to order. The clerk behind the desk looked at them with expecting eyes. She was a young woman with shoulder-length, brown hair they'd seen work there often. Her finger already hovered over the milkshake button of the control panel to place the first order. Kuroko was about to open his mouth to speak up when suddenly Kagami let out a sound that was somewhere between a squeak and an "Ah," straightened up and his face turned pale.

Kuroko looked up at him with worry in his eyes. "Are you okay, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami's face went from dangerously white to a flashing red within seconds. It took him a few seconds before he mumbled, "I think I forgot my wallet at home."

The clerk's eyes flew back and forth between the two boys, trying to figure out whether they'd eventually place their orders or not. 

Kagami turned to Kuroko with almost pleading eyes. "Hey, Kuroko, I hate asking this but could you maybe lend me the money? I'll pay you back as soon as we come home!" he asked, his voice sounding so hopeful, the clerk felt sorry for both of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kuroko suddenly caught a discount displayed on a big poster at the side of the shop. He tried hard to hide a smile and then gently tugged at the hem of Kagami's school uniform. Kagami's eyes widened a little though he himself couldn't say why.  
Kuroko looked up at him and stage-whispered only loud enough so the clerk could hear them, "I didn't bring enough money either, but we could order a few of these couple menus after all." Kagami gaped at him but Kuroko continued before he could ruin his little play. "I know Kagami-kun wanted our relationship to remain a secret but it's Valentine's soon so this might be a good time to gradually come out to our friends. And even if the menu isn't only burgers, we could order just two or three of them to satiate the worst part of your hunger and then cook at yours? I like Kagami-kun's food much better anyway."

Kagami kept gaping at him, constantly opening and closing his mouth without making a single sound even when Kuroko turned back to the clerk to order three _Lovers' Menus_ , each consisting of two burgers, fries and one large drink with only one straw. The clerk kept sending them supportive smiles as she gathered all the items for them which only made Kagami blush harder.

When the two teenagers were finally seated in their usual place by the window Kagami finally burst out, "What the fuck was that, Kuroko?"

Kuroko calmly placed the six burgers in front of Kagami and took one pack of fries and a milkshake for himself. He only looked at Kagami when he'd started sipping the cool liquid. "I had to make a quick decision to save money."

Kagami was taken aback for a while. He unwrapped his first burger and finished it with three bites, picking up the next one already. Kuroko was nibbling away at his fries when Kagami put the burger back down and looked at him through squinted eyes. Kuroko returned the gaze expectantly, but Kagami ended up scanning the room until he found the menu discount offer. For a few seconds he seemed to be concentrating hard and then turned back to Kuroko. 

"Wouldn't buying single burgers have been cheaper?" 

Kuroko kept sipping his milkshake for a moment, looking at him through big eyes, before he answered, "But Kagami-kun only ever eats burgers and I thought it'd be better to mix it up a little. And also it includes my milkshakes which are quite expensive on their own."

Kagami bit into his burger to hide his embarrassment. They kept eating in silence, Kagami now mixing his burgers with the fries and coke Kuroko had ordered for him. After a while Kuroko loudly slurped up the last drops of his milkshake and then fixed his blue eyes on his friend once more. Kagami almost choked on his handful of fries when he noticed.

With difficulty he gulped down the chips and pressed out, "What?"

Kuroko obviously glanced toward the counter. Kagami followed his gaze and saw the female clerk that had served them earlier glance at them with a shy smile. His cheeks burned up again.

"To look more authentic we may have to do something that only couples would do," Kuroko explained. He conveniently placed his hand on the table and continued, "Maybe we should hold hands for a while."

Kagami stared at Kuroko's hand with horror in his eyes, but soon gave in, placing his sweaty palm on it. He gulped heavily and then started chewing on his French fries again.  
They were silent for the rest of their stay at the store while Kagami kept eating all the food and Kuroko drank the second milkshake he had ordered as well. Even though his face looked as if it was going to explode soon, Kagami never let go of Kuroko's hand; not even when they put away their trays and Kuroko and the clerk shared one last knowing smile.


	11. Tickles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been months since I last participated and this is really, really short, but I had a little time just now and a tiny idea so I just had to contribute at least this little something.   
> (I apparently like to make Kagami suffer lmao)

Taiga wakes up from a cold nose climbing up his upper arm. For a second he wonders how the boy next to him manages to get a cold nose while he's still buried under the covers, but then he remembers that Kuroko seems to attract the cold sometimes.

The hairs on his arm rise, when soft hair tickles along with the tip of the nose. Kuroko's hair are a mystery to Taiga sometimes. They are as soft and as pale-ish blue as cotton candy but they never make him look weak. The only thing weak about that baby-blue hair of Kuroko's is Taiga’s reaction when it tickles him like it does now.

Involuntarily, Taiga lets out a low hum. He's a little embarrassed by the sound but the feeling changes into something entirely different when Kuroko’s nose reaches his shoulder and moves on to his neck. Taiga knows that Kuroko knows that his neck is one of his most sensual spots and while he's surprised at how bold his boyfriend is this early on a Sunday morning he doesn't waste a single thought to complaining.

When a small tongue darts out to gently dab at his skin Taiga first feels like something might be wrong. Then, the mattress next to him dips a little and Kuroko's tiny voice lets out a sleepy, questioning sound and Taiga has a first idea of what might be happening. And when finally, Kuroko's not-so-tiny-anymore voice says, “Nigou, I told you that the bed is off-limits for you,” and the nose and hair and tongue disappear a moment later Taiga feels like digging himself a hole to jump into it.


	12. Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami invites Kuroko invites Aomine invites Momoi to play some Wii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one contains some Aomomo so if you don't like them then don't read this, probably.  
> Most of this story is about friendship though and I think I was heavily influenced by Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle for that.

Kagami walks up to Kuroko on a Friday afternoon after practice.

“Hey, Kuroko. My dad finally sent over my old Wii. Wanna come over later to play a little?” he asks as if Kuroko was ever going to refuse him. The smaller boy simply nods and then waits because Kagami suddenly looks as if he’s going to say more. Whatever he is about to say, however, seems to be awful enough that he grimaces at just the thought of it.

Kuroko keeps waiting.

It takes Kagami a few empty attempts at opening his mouth before he finally says, “You know, I’ve got some games for four players so if you want to you could, I don’t know, invite Aomine or Kise or someone else.”

He scratches his neck and for the umpteenth time in the short time they’ve known each other Kuroko is overcome by an unexpected wave of love for his boyfriend. He smiles. “Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you, Kagami-kun.”

Kagami smiles back at him before his cheeks flush red when he realises how soft his face must look.

They change out of their gym clothes and into their school uniforms. With a wave they say goodbye to their teammates and leave the school together. On the way to the station, Kuroko calls his home to ask his mother if it’s okay to stay over at Kagami’s place tonight. Of course it is. Then, he texts Aomine and Kise.

Kise texts back immediately, saying he’d love to but unfortunately he has a modelling job scheduled. His message is full of smileys and emojis. Aomine doesn’t reply until Kuroko gets home to pick up spare clothes for staying over at Kagami’s.

His text says, ‘ _yo tetsu! sure i’ll come can't wait to beat that idiot kagami’s butt’_

Kuroko smiles to himself and puts his phone down on his bed next to his bag to go to the bathroom and pack toiletries as well. Sometimes he wonders how it's possible that his things aren't starting to pile up in Kagami’s apartment yet.

“Tetsuya, don't forget to pack pyjamas,” his mother calls from the living room and Kuroko can't find it in him to tell her he won't need one because Kagami’s shirts are much more comfortable.

Right, that's why he never leaves his stuff over. It's not like his parents know about them.

When Kuroko walks back into his bedroom his phone is blinking from a new mail.

It's three mails, in fact.

The most recent one is Kagami asking, ‘ _did aomine reply yet?’_ Kuroko answers with a simple, ‘ _Yes, he will join us.’_

Then, there's two more messages from Aomine. The first one reads, ‘ _oi is he still living in that crappy apartment we went to on your bday?’_ The second one only two minutes later, ‘ _nvm i’ll bring satsuki for directions.’_

Kuroko smiles. He opens another text to Kagami and writes, ‘ _As will Momoi-san, apparently,’_ before he pockets his phone, grabs his bag and leaves.

Half an hour later, Kuroko is standing in front of Kagami’s apartment. Only a moment after he rings the bell he can hear footsteps on the inside. They're a little faster and much lighter than Kagami’s so he's not at all surprised when Momoi opens the door. “Tetsu-kun!”

Momoi flings her arms around Kuroko's neck, just like she always does and while he pats her back as a greeting, Kagami and Aomine peek around the living room door. They greet him with, “Hey, Kuroko,” and, “Yo, Tetsu,” respectively and once he disentangles himself from Momoi, the two of them join their friends on the couch.

Several game cases lie on the coffee table in front of them. From the chaotic way they are scattered around, however, Kuroko can tell that the other two boys have already had a heated discussion on which one to choose.

A good bunch of them have already been pushed aside; from some of the titles Kuroko guesses those are the ones that don't allow multi players.

Before Kagami and Aomine can get into another fight, Kuroko speaks up, “Uhm.” Almost immediate the pairs of eyes turn towards him. They're so much in sync that Kuroko has trouble keeping a chuckle in.

In response to the expectant looks of his friends, Kuroko lightly taps on one of the game cases. “I think I'd like to play this one.”

It reads _Super Smash Bros. Brawl._ Momoi instantly nods as if there was ever any chance she wasn't going to agree with his choice. Aomine and Kagami just share a quick glance before shrugging. “I guess this works.”

Kuroko smiles while Kagami puts the disc into the Wii.

Handing out the remotes goes by disappointingly eventless. There are two standard white ones, one black and one pink.  No one bats an eye when Momoi takes the pink one while Kuroko's hand closes around the black one.

Nodding at the pink remote, Aomine simply shows Kagami a smug grin. Kuroko is almost proud at Kagami’s lack of a reaction.

As Kagami starts the game, Momoi tells Kuroko about the time she met Midorima the week before and suddenly the game menu is up and they're discussing teams.

Before any of the boys can even open his mouth Momoi exclaims, “Tetsu-kun is on a team with me.” They sigh quietly in resignation but nobody protests.

Kagami navigates them through the menu until they can choose their characters. Kuroko almost immediately selects Zelda.

The other three look at him in confusion but the boy just smiles as if that explains everything. Momoi shrugs and puts her chip on Peach.

Kagami explains that they need to click on their characters so they both have the same out of three possible background colours—red, blue or green—to play as a team so they do. Silently, but with small, wicked smiles on their lips, they choose the green team colour.

Then, he and Aomine stare at the character selection screen. They move their cursors over the character pictures for several minutes before Kuroko suggests, “Why don't you just choose the villains to Momoi-san and my characters?”

This suggestion sounds so reasonable that the two aces can only shrug in agreement. Aomine’s cursor lands on Bowser, Kagami chooses Ganondorf. Aomine lets out an unidentifiable sound.

“What’s wrong, Aomine-kun?”

Aomine shakes his head. “Nothing. Just… Who even is that guy?”

“His name is Ganondorf and he captured Princess Zelda in various games,” Kuroko explains.

Aomine’s eyebrows pull together. “Wait, I thought the green guy is a guy. So he’s a princess? That’s fucked up.”

There’s a second of surprised silence before Momoi says, as calm as possible, “Dai-chan, the green guy is called Link. Zelda is the princess that Tetsu-kun is playing.”

“What? But why would they name a game series after a princess who keeps getting captured instead of the guy who keeps rescuing her?”

Momoi is about to protest again but she’s interrupted by Kagami laughing out loud. Kuroko tries to interfere but his partner already bellows about how he never thought Aomine would make such a stupid mistake and he didn’t think there were actually any people left who thought Link was called Zelda. Aomine fires back how he rather spent his time playing basketball than gaming and maybe Kagami should’ve followed his example.

And that’s when Momoi says in her sweetest voice, “I take it we’re playing 2 vs 1 vs 1?”

“Hah,” Kagami just says. “If I don’t show him how to play he’s just gonna get devastatingly beaten.”

For the next five minutes the two aces try to decide whether to be the red or the blue team. Momoi shares a knowing smile with Kuroko and while Kagami and Aomine keep arguing she changes Peach and Zelda’s colour to blue and the other two to green.

She keeps Kagami’s remote to switch to the stage selection screen and then tells the boys, “We've decided for you so cut it out. Standard stage?”

Kagami looks stunned when he turns towards her. “If you've played this before you should've said so.”

Momoi sits back next to Kuroko and pulls her legs up onto the couch. She shrugs. “Tetsu-kun and I have played _Melee_ before.”

“What's _Melee_?” Aomine asks as Kagami blurts out, “Even Kuroko?”

“It's the prequel game to this one, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko explains. To Kagami he says, “Momoi-san’s cousin had a Gamecube when we were in middle school and invited me to play once.”

They start a game on the standard stage and Aomine starts boasting, “Well, just how hard can this game be? I just have to beat those princesses up, right? I mean, they look so tiny we're gonna crush you. Right, Kagami?”

Kagami agrees enthusiastically—Kuroko thinks he might have to mark this day on the calendar—and the round begins.

As it turns out Momoi did not only play around with the colours but also turned on the Friendly Fire option.

After just a few seconds of trying out his attack options, Aomine’s Bowser accidentally punches Kagami’s Ganondorf. Aomine finds that funny enough to do it again until Ganondorf hits back. After that, Team Green beats each other up constantly until Aomine loses all his lives. Then, Kuroko and Momoi easily beat Kagami as well.

For the next round, Kagami turns off Friendly Fire and for a while the fight is almost equal.

And then Bowser fights against Zelda and Zelda suddenly vanishes. She shows up again just a second later but Aomine is confused enough to let his guard down and get kicked off the stage.

Zelda wins the game, together with Peach.

“What the fuck was that, Tetsu?”

Kagami can see the way Kuroko tries to hide his smile but fails miserably.

“My vanishing drive,” Kuroko explains and with that Aomine decides to team up with him next.

Kuroko and Kagami don't disagree, but with a secret smile that neither of the other two miss, they promise to play on the same team in the next round.

Aomine grins proudly when he decides that team Momoi and Kagami should play as the red team and Kuroko and himself would play in blue. Nobody protests.

The next three games are fairly balanced but end with two wins for Team Red after Aomine again freaks out when Zelda transforms to Shiek.

Eventually, Kagami and Kuroko get to play together on the red team. For this possibly last team-up, Kagami and Aomine decide to play as the heroes of their games instead of the villains.

Again, they play for two wins out of three. Team Mario and Peach wins the first round by a landslide, making Aomine go on a little tantrum as to why no one told him how much easier handling a smaller and lighter character is.

Team Red has a well-fought come back in the second round so it's all up to the last fight. In the end only Zelda and Peach are still standing with their percentage numbers above 100 each.

They hit each other for another minute or so while being cheered on by their teammates. In the end, Peach is sent flying off the stage by a well-timed upward kick, making Team Red’s second and final win.

Kagami throws his arms up in the air with a euphoric shout and when he puts them down again they lower around Kuroko's shoulders as he pulls him in for a quick peck on the cheek.

Suddenly, the background music from the game feels ten times louder as the other three teenagers fall completely silent. With a gasp, Kagami’s eyes widen as he realises where he is and what he just did.

Momoi and Aomine gape at him with their mouths hanging open while Kuroko simply watches him with his big blue eyes.

“Shit,” Kagami mumbles and covers his face with his hand. “Sorry.”

Kuroko chuckles, “I didn’t know Kagami-kun was an exhibitionist.”

Kagami grumbles into his hand, muttering, “Please don’t make this worse for me.”

The other two are still silent. That is, until Aomine lets out a loud sigh. Both Kagami and Kuroko turn towards him and watch him as he scratches his neck somewhat awkwardly. “Well, it’s not like it’s much of a surprise to be honest.” When he turns to face them, he’s wearing an appreciative smile. “Congratulations, I guess.”

Kuroko lets out a relieved sigh that he himself probably hasn’t even been aware of holding. Meanwhile, Momoi just nods thoughtfully and Kagami suddenly feels guilty for kissing her crush in front of her eyes.

But then, she turns to face Aomine and gently tugs at the sleeve of his shirt. “Hey, Dai-chan? I think we should tell them.”

Kagami is about to ask, “Tell us what?” but Aomine has already pulled her halfway up his lap and kisses her on the lips.

Momoi blushes furiously and shakes him off. “Dai-chan, I said _tell_ them!” She doesn’t stay angry for long however, and really, who could be when he was beaming the way he is right now.

“Well, so there’s that. Satsuki and I have been dating for a few weeks now,” Aomine says eventually and Kuroko returns the smile he and Kagami received earlier. Momoi still seems to pout a little but she nevertheless leans into Aomine’s touch when he puts his arm around her shoulder.

Kuroko and Aomine gently bump fists. Kagami thinks it looks like they’re silently boasting about their respective partners but as he’s one of them, he’s not going to complain—although the motion _is_ a little embarrassing.

They end up playing another round of _Brawl_ after all before Momoi and Aomine leave Kagami’s apartment, holding hands.

As soon as the door closes behind them, Kagami pulls Kuroko into the proper kiss he meant to give him all day.


	13. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am back from the dead to a dead thing :')  
> There's an overload of cheese in this, proceed at your own risk. You have been warned!

Tetsuya can tell right away that it’s a dream.

Right in front of his eyes, surrounded but nothing but soothing white, sits Kagami on an armchair, Nigou cuddled up in his arms, both sleeping soundly. Kagami, for some reason, is wearing his Seirin jersey.

The view reminds Tetsuya of what he likes most; He loves playing basketball—there will probably never be a time in his life when he won’t love it. Basketball has given him so many memories, good and bad ones, that he would never want to part with. Basketball has shaped a good part of the human being he is now.

And he loves Nigou of course. Picking the puppy up had been an action on a whim, but now Tetsuya can’t imagine his daily life without him anymore. Nigou has become an additional family member and Tetsuya dreads the time when the puppy won’t be a puppy anymore but an old man in dog years and Tetsuya will outlive him. This is not a good thought for such a nice dream though.

Tetsuya also loves Kagami. As a friend, yes, but also as so much more than that. He likes to think of Kagami as his soulmate, as the person who makes him a better person himself, as the other half of a whole. He hasn’t admitted it out loud yet, not to anyone. But one day there will be a time when Tetsuya will let the world, and most importantly Kagami, know just how much he means to him. He has practiced saying it in other dreams.

But most of all Tetsuya loves a combination of all these things. He loves how he got to meet both Nigou and Kagami through the sport he loves. He loves how Nigou has become something like a mascot for the team he loves so much to play basketball with and how he slowly helps Kagami getting over his phobia—although a scene like the one in front of Tetsuya’s eyes now is still unimaginable. He loves how good Kagami looks in a basketball jersey and how gentle he can be with the things and people he cares about.

Tetsuya can feel himself drifting out of sleep, so he wills his feet to move up to the armchair. He leans down and presses a soft kiss against Kagami’s temple. “Sweet dreams, Kagami-kun,” he says. 

He loves everything about this dream.

When Tetsuya wakes up, he’s confused for a moment. It takes him several blinks to realise where he is. 

And then he remembers. He remembers that he’s not in high school anymore. He remembers that he managed to tell Kagami about his feelings. He remembers that he might not do it professionally, but they’re still playing basketball together—just not in Japan anymore but the overseas. He remembers that he adopted a second dog and that Nigou is like a cute brother with her. And he remembers that the big, warm body next to him belongs to his loving husband.

Tetsuya leans over to press a soft kiss against his temple. “Good morning, Taiga-kun,” he says.

Sometimes, dreams do come true.


End file.
